Sam Adams winter lager

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stat quo

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man, what happened to this beer? i remember back in 2000-2001, when the label was different (not like this plain blue one currently), this beer was great: you could really taste the spices and everything.
but now its really gone down the tubes, it just tastes so...flat. the spices and flavor taste toned down compared to before :confused:
 
what do you expect from sam adams? in my opinion all their beer deserves to be in that tub of old beer that the owner gets dunked in on the commercial.
 
stat quo said:
man, what happened to this beer? i remember back in 2000-2001, when the label was different (not like this plain blue one currently), this beer was great: you could really taste the spices and everything.
but now its really gone down the tubes, it just tastes so...flat. the spices and flavor taste toned down compared to before :confused:

The bean counters in accounting always ruin a good thing.

You're giving away the bottom line, man!!! :mad:
 
Had some last night at the Brew Crew meeting. Everyone seemed to agree that it was a mere shadow of itself.
 
Boy, I still thank my lucky stars when I'm out at the "cookie cutter" restaurants (ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, etc.) and they have something from Sammy Adams on tap!

I like pretty much everything by them that I've had.
The Black Lager is odd, the Oktoberfest was real bland to me, and I had Winter Lager last year on tap and it was pretty stinking good. I doubt I would like it much now because of my hops addiction.

Otherwise, the Boston Ale, Boston Lager and Cream Stout are super beers, IMHO.
 
The guy who brought the winter ale also had the Cream Stout & the Boston Ale. They were much better.
 
They are a perfect example of why American beer is what it is: economies of scale. You simply can't get a large enough quantity of high-quality ingredients. They have to purchase what they can in bulk, and it's probably loaded with filler material.

They are also bound to keep the price up high enough for everyone to perceive it as a high-quality beer. Lowering the price lowers the perceived value and the brand worth.

I'm willing to bet that the brewers of Sam Adams know their beer is going to swill, but I'm also willing to bet that the carboys in their basements hold some DANK home brew.
 
i agree. why people feel they have to grow and dominate the world???? i guess it's easy to judge, but what's wrong with making quality beer, and knowing your limits to keep the quality in the beer. $$$$$$$$$$$$
 
Anyone else try the Sam Adams Utopias? Can't really call it a beer, but rather a barley wine. At 25% billed as the strongest beer ever brewed. Sure would like a yeast culture from that one. Somewhere around 17% most high potency yeasts give up.
 
I started a thread on this a while back. It seems like all of their beers have gone downhill lately. Not to say that I don't appreciate what they've done for the microbrew industry in the US. At least Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada are still good, even though their both dang twist off's now.
 
I found a great store in Jersey, got to talking with the owner for a while and he let my fiance and I sample a bottle of 2003 Utopia. I was amazed at how smooth it was. Zero carbonation. Nice caramel flavor. Very nice. Price tag at 135$ is too high though...
 
I tried the Winter Lager and was very disapointed. From what I had read here about spiced beers I was expecting something bigger and tastier, this was just plain, not bad but no zing. I love their Black Lagers though. Had my first one this year so I don't know what they were like before but I liked this years enough to copy it in a brew I did myself. Plan on making this one a regular when I get my keg fridge done. :D
 
That utopia may be fortified, I have heard.

Also, I recently bought their holiday variety pack.

Not impressed. The boston ale and lager, and black lager, are good, but the rest are kind of odd. Old Fezziwig isn't bad for a spiced holiday beer, but it's still so-so. The cranberry lambic was my first lambic. I poured half of it down the drain. The holiday porter has an "off-taste", like it was fermented too warm. I didn't like the winter lager at all.

I also must throw my hat in for their cream stout.

One of those black lagers made an excellent marinade base for these beautiful london broils I grilled last saturday...
 
Well, it is the American dream. I don't really begrudge anybody "selling out" or what have you as I wouldn't mind being obscenely wealthy someday. Perhaps there's a compromise...get filthy stinkin' rich off of SA and then operate a microbrewery for the hell of it.
 
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